Can a Rhinoplasty Fix a Collapsed Septum?
The nose is the most common body part fixed through plastic surgery, and there are multiple ways you can make your nose seem more attractive.
If you are considering rhinoplasty to fix your nose, our plastic surgeons have a few pointers.
First, it’s important to understand that there are limitations on how much you can transform your nose. You may dislike the tip, dorsal hump, or crooked septum. However, a single rhinoplasty procedure likely cannot touch every single part of the nose. At our facial plastic surgery center, we focus on making a minimal amount of changes in a way so that they have a huge impact.
Trying to do too much in a single procedure is the fastest way to a botched nose job. We frequently conduct revision rhinoplasty on those who have too much tissue and cartilage removed and suffer from nasal collapse.
While you may want the bridge of your nose to be smoothed out, an overzealous surgeon can quickly do too much and cause your nasal septum to collapse, resulting in what doctors call “saddle nose.” Saddle nose refers to a nose that is flattened in the center, poking up at the nostrils.
Causes of Saddle Nose
It should be noted that a botched rhinoplasty procedure is not the only cause of saddle nose. While removing too much material during a nose job can cause the bridge of the nose to collapse, you can be born with this condition or it can happen as the result of a physical trauma.
A severe impact to the nose in a car accident or while playing sports can cause a broken nose. Just like with a botched nose job, the septum collapses, creating a flat middle of the nose.
Saddle nose can also be the result of frequent drug use. Cocaine is no stranger to Los Angelenos, and frequent snorting of the drug can lead to frequent sinus infections, a chronic bloody nose, and breathing issues. These should all be signs to stop drug use, but addiction doesn’t always go away that easy. If frequent drug use has given you nasal issues, correct your drug related nasal deformities with a rhinoplasty procedure.
Saddle nose can also be a side effect of another condition. If you were born with a low nasal septum, our doctors can fix this.
Fixing a Saddle Nose
A saddle nose is caused by a collapse or lack of cartilage and tissue in the nasal septum, so our doctors treat this through a rhinoplasty procedure.
In order to fix a nose that has collapsed, our doctors must insert material to support your septum. This material can be a silicone implant or Gore-Tex material, but our cosmetic surgeons prefer to use actual human cartilage.
In most cases, our surgeon takes cartilage from the ear of a patient to insert it into the nose. In other cases, we take cartilage from a cadaver and then safely insert it to support the middle of the nose.
This kind of nose job procedure is often used to improve the functionality of the nose, but our doctors can also take this opportunity to shape your nose in a way that makes you feel more confident.
About Westside Face
Following a nose job with Westside Face, our patients are always overjoyed with their new appearance. Our long track record of five-star rhinoplasty reviews makes us the best plastic surgery office in Los Angeles.
Dr. Aynehchi is the head of our office and is one of the only double board-certified rhinoplasty surgeons in the country. Much of our procedures are revisions to fix collapsed nasal septums and other issues caused by poorly done rhinoplasty.
Become one of our thousands of happy rhinoplasty patients by setting up a consultation at our Los Angeles facial plastic surgery office today!
